Plastic heart beats for 3 days and nights, kicks off trend

You will find millions of products in the vaults of museums that a lot of people don’t see. The Smithsonian institution has many of those. On Monday, honoring Valentine's Day, the Smithsonian introduced a picture of the first plastic heart. That first artificial heart beat for three full days and nights. This kind of medical engineering undoubtedly took a huge personel loan to create.

Background of the plastic heart that beat for 3 days and nights

In 1969, the first ever plastic heart was implanted in a human being. Dr. Domingo Liotta evolved the plastic heart although Dr. Denton A. Cooley implanted it. Dr. Cooley commandeered the plastic heart from Dr. Liotta’s lab and implanted it without authorization. The patient’s plastic heart beat for 3 days and nights before a human transplant heart was found. Despite the human heart, the patient died, however the plastic heart began a plastic heart trend. The plastic heart itself is in the Smithsonian Institution, which introduced a photo of it to commemorate St. Valentine’s Day.

Development of plastic heart transplants

Though the first “plastic” heart was implanted in 1969, it was not until 2004 the FDA approved a plastic heart implant. The Jarvick-7 was the first viable plastic heart transplant that beat for a long period of time, and it was evolved in 1982. A human heart is nevertheless used for permanent transplant although a plastic heart could be used as a temporary replacement after being approved in 2004. In 2006, the FDA approved a permanent plastic heart transplant, the AbioCor Implantable Replacement Heart. A 13-pound system in a backpack is needed in order to keep a plastic heart going. Every year, it’s maintained on $18,000.

Likelihood of success with a self-contained heart

The dream of a plastic heart that started in 1969 has nevertheless not come to full fruition. Maintenance and heavy equipment are required for a plastic heart to be used even though it can keep an individual alive and is accessible. It may be a long time before the self-contained heart is really available even though researchers are working on it considering there was 30 years between the first plastic heart beating for 3 days and nights and the 13 pound backpack supported heart.

Articles cited

News Desk

newsdesk.si.edu/snapshot/liotta-cooley-artificial-heart

New York Times

nytimes.com/2007/11/27/health/27docs.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=denton%20cooley&st=cse

American Heart Association

americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4444

How you can pick the right wine for optimum tasting supper

The best bottle of wine is tough to find. It can be a hard decision. When organizing a social dinner function, having the "right" wine bottle is essential. Not only does a personal preference play a role in wine selection, the food itself should be considered. You may want to try wine coupling. This is when the flavor profile of the meals is accented by the flavor profile that the wine has. One strategy is to select a wine that has similar qualities as the meals, so they "go well" together. Contradicting profiles is an additional option. This makes it so the food is balanced out by the wine. Pairing wine with food isn’t an exact science, however, there are some things that should be looked at when choosing a wine bottle.

When pairing, do you select red or white?

As a general rule, white wines tend to pair better with lighter food, while red wines are typically matched with heavier, entrée type courses. For instance, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Chardonnay would be good choices for pairing with salads and lighter entrees for instance seafood. There are several heavy red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot and Zinfandel. In case you are having a BBQ, veal, lamb or beef, these might be better choices.

All in the details

Within these basic "rules" you will find other considerations that ought to be made for instance the spices used in food preparation. A Zinfandel or Chianti would be something you may try with a red marinara sauce on pasta. However, pasta with a white sauce, for instance parmesan or alfredo, would be something you would want to serve a Chardonnay or Merlot with. When making chicken marsala, a Pinot Noir or Merlot would be good choices. However, a lemon chicken might be something to pair with Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio instead.

Dinner and dessert

Dessert may be an additional thing to consider when choosing wine. Ice wine and late harvest Riesling pair well with fruit and citrus based desserts. Cabernet Sauvignon is a good choice with chocolate desserts that are darker without red meat. When serving chocolate, you may want to try Port wines or champagne.

Wine pairing is an exhilarating way to make meals more interesting. The thing to consider is that there is no right or wrong mixture. Making up different combinations of flavor profiles is part of the fine with it. Any meal can be enhanced with a nice glass of wine, and of course, wine is best loved with friends and family. What exactly are you waiting for? Get ready to drink!

Congressman Lee quits amid Craigslist scandal

Congressman Christopher Lee has resigned from Congress after emails and photos were discovered that he delivered to a female he met through Craigslist. Christopher Lee was entering his second term in the House of Representatives, and is Republican from New York. Rather than become a focal point of a scandal for weeks or months, Lee resigned and cut the incident off at the knees. Source of article – Congressman Christopher Lee resigns amid Craigslist scandal by MoneyBlogNewz.

Personal ad response by ‘Craigslist congressman’ causes problems

Craigslist was where the events began that eventually led Lee to step down from the New York House of Representatives. The Washington Post reports that Gawker.com had photos leaked onto it. A personal ad was posted by a female, remaining unnamed, living in MD. Christopher Lee responded to it. The woman asked as part of the ad, “will someone prove to me not all CL men look like toads?” In his second term in the House of Representatives, Christopher Lee wrote back to her. He said he as younger than 46, which is his real age, and that he was a lobbyist on Capitol Hill. The two bantered back and forth, however the ruse was discovered once he sent her photos of himself.

Gawker leaks pictures

Christopher Lee sent the woman photos of himself without a shirt on. He said it was "all I had" after she asked if he sent photographs of himself topless typically. She asked Christopher Lee if he was married, which he replied he was divorced, when they were having conversations. Christopher Lee has a son and a wife. She looked on the internet for his name after recognizing the picture just to discover out he was a married congressman from the 26th district of NY and was older than 40. Gawker.com got the e-mails and pictures from her after that. It did not take long to make the news.

Resignation by Gawker force

The photos were published on Gawker.com Wed, February 9. The news spread like wildfire. Lee wrote a letter to John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, notifying him that he was resigning within hrs of the news breaking, in accordance with NPR. A clerk read the letter aloud on the floor later in the day. A special election could have to be called by Andrew Cuomo, governor of NY, to replace him.

Information from

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020906977.html?nav=hcmoduletmv&sid=ST2011020907393

NPR

npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/02/10/133648332/rep-christopher-lee-resigns-from-congress-after-non-sex-scandal

Gawker

gawker.com/#!5755071/married-gop-congressman-sent-sexy-pictures-to-craigslist-babe

JPMorgan Chase in trouble for treatment of servicemember loans

Chase is a lot of questions about how it handles military finances. There were very suspect conditions around certain foreclosures on active military servicemembers’ homes. Chase is re-thinking (for a second time) the way they manage student education loans for active servicemembers on deployment. Many of these service members were applying for payday loans just to stay above water.

Exploration by two groups of JPMorgan Chase's treatments of active service members

JPMorgan Chase is a mega-finance bank that provides financial services such as student education loans, home loans, checking, savings and lines of credit. The way Chase has handled military loans as well as all other finances of active-duty service members is being investigated by congressional committees and federal prosecutors. Accusations state that Chase is charging too much for the active duty service members. This is why the investigation is happening.

Obtaining a student loan as a service member

Active-duty servicemembers who have their student education loans through Chase received surprising news over the last few weeks. The loans were going to be due soon, even though they were deferred. While military members were on duty, JPMorgan Chase would defer student education loans. This short term installment loan policy was reversed in late January 2011. Some servicemembers were informed that they would owe over $400 per month additional, starting in just weeks. There were threats of congressional inquiries that came while service members complained of needing pay-day loans to cover the cost. The policy was then reversed again by Chase.

Congressional inquiry into Chase home loans

Just a few weeks ago, an ABC News investigation that got congressional inquiries going started with Chase. Homes in Irving, TX and Reno, NV were wrongly foreclosed on for service members while also overcharging occurred, which Chase admitted to. The Service Member Civil Relief Act is one that was broken with this and with the education loan policy. Because of the act, what service members are held responsible for while on active duty is limited. This is for legal and financial actions specifically.

Information from

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/41415796/ns/business-personal_finance/

Disney carousel death one of three major injuries in 4th quarter

As part of their quarterly injury report, Disney has reported a carousel fatality. Three significant injuries were documented by Disney Parks in the three-month reporting period they have worked out with the State of Florida. All three accidents that Disney documented were to elderly guests. The youngest injured individual was 71. This type of coverage might cause Disney the need to take out personal installment loans to spin this press.

Heart condition causes death on Disney carousel

In December 2010, a 76-year-old woman rode the Prince Charming carousel. She collapsed and passed away after exiting the rise. The carousel evidently made a pre-existing heart situation in the woman worse. Even though the Prince Charming Regal Carousel at the park is a very tame ride, there is warning signs posted that individuals should not ride with heart conditions.

Disney carousel health had injuries prior to

When it comes to the fatality at Disney World Theme Park of the 76-year old, there were two other major accidents in the last quarter of 2010 that happened. A 76-year-old woman fell from a moving platform and injured her leg, and a 71-year-old woman broke both her hip and shoulder after riding the Prince Charming Regal Carousel. The park doesn’t have specific age needs or limitations that prevent elderly individuals from getting on the rides.

Disney carousel death documented within safety deal

Florida doesn't do any inspections of the major theme parks around Orlando. The rides are not regulated either. Instead, the theme parks each submit quarterly reports to the state outlining the injuries that happen at their parks. In the exact same time period that the Disney carousel fatality occurred, the other major theme parks reported no accidents to guests. The Prince Charming Regal Carousel is located in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Every three months there were about 5 million guests there. That means that Walt Disney World averaged a .000059 percent injury rate, including the carousel fatality.

Citations

theme Park Insider

themeparkinsider.com/flume/201004/1895/

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020702235.html

Redesign your kids’ bedrooms for under $100

Kids' bedrooms are a hard decorating concern. Parents can get asked to redesign their kids’ bedrooms many, several times. Fortunately, whenever you need to redecorate your kids' bedrooms, you do not have to spend lots of money for a new look.

Redecorating kids’ bedrooms – the fundamentals

Do not just redecorate your kids' bedrooms. Make sure you ask some questions first. How old are the children, and the way easily do you think they may grow out of their current obsession? Make sure you know if you are able to change wall colors or make other changes when renting. What is the biggest concern in the room — organization, design, light or space? Make a list of the changes your child wants to make and the changes you want to make and prioritize.

Redecorate your kids’ rooms with the large stuff

A $100 spending budget is often beat up with the idea of a structure change in a room or new furniture. However, re-painting or re-finishing furniture can very easily give it new life that fits into the new look that your kid may want. Try looking for and using dual-purpose items as well. For an example, you may want a headboard that is made of storage or organizational shelves. Second-hand stores have furniture accessible in them all the time. Make sure it is sturdy and inexpensive. Buying one dresser for $50 may feel like a large investment, but it will last much longer than a $20 dresser that you’ll have to re-purchase in a few years.

Don't do anything permanent

The colors and décor in a room could be effected by Kids’ taste. However, this will regularly be changing. Rather than repainting a room, try going to your local sign shop to get custom stickers made. It is much cheaper to get a huge graphic sticker than to get paint and gives the room a special feel. You may want to try putting up a dry-erase board or rolled cork in the room. It is pretty inexpensive also. Kids can continually change their room by having a p lace where they can write, draw and express themselves.

Create the right turn with pay day loans in Albuquerque

Recall that is was the great Bugs Bunny who once wondered whether he ought to have made that left turn at Albuquerque. Bugs’ warped sense of direction frequently got him into trouble with Elmer Fudd and Wile E. Coyote. With something as simple as a hard left at Albuquerque, perhaps Mr. Bunny might have saved some carrots – and some cash. Unlike Bugs, you can save money in a money emergency with pay day loans in Albuquerque. Let us show you the way. Article resource – Get there with payday loans in Albuquerque by MoneyBlogNewz.

Pay day loans accessible to you in Albuquerque

You are able to always get a pay day loan in Albuquerque. Elmer Fudd is who you shouldn't be. Avoid it. Constantly befuddled as to whether it was rabbit season or duck season, the little man's day always tended to end in disappointment. With Albuquerque payday loans, however, your account with a bank might very well have a treat in store. Discover out if an Albuquerque cash advance is in your future online at with us. You will find a few things you’ve to have in order to qualify at all. You’ve to have a bank account, a state or federal ID, a telephone and a steady job that pays regularly. You'll need to be 18 or older too. Even those on fixed incomes and members of the military may apply for Albuquerque personal loans. Get them whenever you need them. They’re always available.

Albuquerque personal financing – now and later

You will find quite flexible standards when it comes to having to pay your Albuquerque short term installment loans off. You can pay off your loan in installments over time, rather than all at once. That is not too hard. Even Elmer Fudd can figure it out. No "shall I shoot him now or wait until I get home" type arguments from that confusing Daffy Duck. In Albuquerque, you can pay your short term personal loan just a little at a time. There are payment dates to help with this. Have it all. It’s easy to get to do. If you get approved, there is fast cash to be had. There are not any ducks, guns or killing either.

Fast cash in Albuquerque

For a short term, you can help your spending budget out with pay day loans in Albuquerque. You will have to plan a little bit more if your issue is too large. Upon lender approval, an Albuquerque cash advance could be directly deposited into your banking account in as little as two hours, which will surely take care of that surprise expense.

Albuquerque payday loans are accessible to some who have even had a bankruptcy. Pay just 15 to 30 percent of the principal balance for the convenience of quick Albuquerque installment loans, and you will see that you've made the correct turn for spending budget – with pay day loans in Albuquerque. What are you waiting for? Apply!

Ryanair faces mutiny following unexpected fee hits travelers

Ryanair is a low-cost European air carrier that ends up in the headlines relatively regularly. One of Ryanair's baggage costs caused over 100 students to riot and delay a flight. One of Ryanair's costs has been ruled unlawful in Spain.

Riot with the Ryanair

There were over a hundred travelers kicked off a flight on Ryanair. This was from the Canary Islands to Belgium. The “mutiny,” as one flight crew person called it, started when students were asked to pay an overweight luggage charge. The pupils reacted to this. They became “disruptive and refused to comply with crew directions.” Eventually, the police got a phone call. Then, a hundred of the 166 travelers on the flight were taken off and told they were not allowed back on. The remaining 66 individuals were apologized to for the three-hour delay and later sent on their way.

Rules Ryanair has about its luggage

Ryanair allows travelers to carry on a twenty-two pound bag within certain dimensions. An individual can carry on more than that although it costs an additional fee and has to be stored in the cargo hold. Without paying the charge, the luggage had to be left on the tarmac. The carriers would have to discover a way to get it back later. Much of the pupils were upset that Ryanair staff was trying to hold their luggage hostage or pay a charge.

Ryanair fees don't work very well

Anything on the flight will cost lots of money for Ryanair although the no-frill flights have very low costs. Ryanair suggested costs like pay-as-you-go lavatory uses. It was the first airline to suggest these. Ryanair charges a charge to everyone who shows up to the gate without a preprinted boarding pass. However, a judge in Spain decided this was illegal to do. The ruling is called "bizarre" by Ryanair that plans to challenge this. Ryanair doesn’t operate in the United States, however U.S. airlines are starting to restructure their fees to be more a la carte and less all-inclusive.

Articles cited

CNN

cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/02/07/ryanair.fee.flight.disrupted/index.html?npt=NP1

Employees of Louisiana may be missing out on salary raises

A salary cut — or at least a lack of standard raises– could be on the docket for Louisiana state employees. This would be the second year of salary freezes in the state. Employee advocates are not anxious about this possibility. Though it doesn’t include layoffs, it’s a powerful salary cut for employees. Once again this is another measure that is going to keep people looking to payday advances for survival.

Louisiana seeing raises in salary happening

There’s a huge budget deficit in Louisiana right now. It’s currently at $1.6 million. You will find yearly reviews yearly for employees. This typically leads to a salary raise up to 4 percent per person. Louisiana state employee salary increases were halted past year which saved $55 million for the state. Gov. Bobby Jindal has suggested extending these pay raise halts for the 2011-2012 budget years to continue the savings. This would freeze only annual salary raises, not raises associated with promotions.

Louisiana dealing with issues with budgets

By trying to fix the Louisiana budgetary issues with pay halts, the state legislature isn’t making friends. The staff is represented by state commission members. They say that the state is just “attempting to balance the budget on the back of workers.” Calling the pay freeze an emergency loan that will end up costing the state more money, employee supporters are making an effort to push through at least a cost-of-living adjustment for employees. Salary freezes, furlough days and layoffs are all being done in states to get the budget balanced again. In Louisiana, cutting out salary raises is a relatively low-impact measure to balance the spending budget.

Numbers for Louisiana

Louisiana is in a better position economically than most even though $2 billion needs to get cut out of the budget. Unemployment in Louisiana is at 7.7 percent right now. That's much better than the 9 percent national average. Throughout the nation, college rates have gone up drastically. However, Louisiana has one of the lowest rates for in-state tuition at state colleges. Right now, proposals are being drawn up by state commissions. March 11 can be when the final decisions will be made.

Citations

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-02/no-decision-made-on-louisiana-pay-raise-suspension.html

The tough options made by car loan underwriters

Car loan underwriters tend to be forgotten among the progenitors of the economic downturn, but sloppy choices regarding subprime loans created a substantial amount defaults. Lack of care analyzing the subprime market’s ability to pay back its auto loans led to financial upheaval. According to Wards Auto, the sins of the past have forced the automotive business to take a closer look at car loan requirements.

The details make all the main difference with auto loan underwriting

In order to get approved with a credit history that is not quite up to speed for an auto loan, there has to be greater attention paid. Price Waterhouse and Cooper Consumer Financial Group senior manager Douglas Ekizian explained that a borrower can have a few dings in a credit report however does not appear to be in a terrible loan default could be approved. When it is clear that an applicant has the ability to pay back the loan, underwriters must determine whether history suggests that the consumer will pay it back.

An auto loan underwriting decision is something that is made with lots of information. It is easier to do with more information. Full income and employment data is a must so that analysts can do "more than a cursory review of credit-bureau forensic analytics," said Ekizian.

Using impulse to determine to lend

Alliance Acceptance CEO Ray Thousand explained that an auto loan underwriter is able to determine what will and will not trigger an odd loan default depending on the detail. A default following job loss is something that can be overlooked if the rest of the credit history is clean. The market has relaxed when it comes to credit for automotive loans. This is why consumer risk finance manager of Toyota Financial Services, Adem Yilmaz, said borrowers are still considered with a bankruptcy on the report.

"Determining willingness to pay back a loan is the gut call of the day. We're looking for evidence of ultimately trying to make good on the loan," said Thousand.

Auto loan defaults: Children of recession

A boom in car loan defaults occurred in 2008 and 2009, years which were particularly bad for the United States economy. This dragged some of the country’s most respected car loan businesses into bankruptcy or in line for subprime bailout dollars. Hopefully the auto financing market can now make careful underwriting choices. Then, the mistakes of the past won't be repeated.

Articles cited

Wards Auto

wardsauto.com/home/auto_loan_analysts_110204/

Understanding the role of loan underwriting

youtube.com/watch?v=Q7OvlYjNt9w

Greater quantity of choice financial services being offered in retail stores

A greater amount of choice financial services are offered by giant retail chains. The store chains Walmart, Best Buy, and Kmart are starting to offer more services for unbanked customers. Unbanked individuals are defined as people that do not have a bank account. The number of unbanked within the United States is pegged at just under 20 percent of the population. Source of article – Retail stores branching out into alternative financial services by MoneyBlogNewz.

Services for finances at retail stores

The Washington Post explains that financial services might be offered at large retails chains soon. That means customers without bank accounts have a place to go. Services such as cash orders and check cashing have been accessible in stores for years, though some retailers are expanding their offerings. Prepaid debit cards are currently sold in Walmart stores already along with check cashing. Nevertheless, a station called Walmart Money Center may also be added. The Money Centers, which are currently in more than 1,100 stores nationwide, offer check cashing, money orders and prepaid card services in a bank or credit union-like format. The company is preparing to expand the number of Walmart Money Center locations from Alabama to Arizona to Alaska, but Walmart does not appear to be preparing on offering cash advances yet.

Finding more financial services from Best Buy and Kmart

Consumers can get more done financially at Kmart and Best Buy now too. Pilot programs are being offered in Kmart stores for prepaid debit card services, money orders and check cashing. Since fewer people are using installment loans or charge cards to buy with the recession, the layaway program has been popular as well. Tio Networks run kiosks at Best Buy that allow customers to pay bills electronically. Instant money is fed into the machine, which uses an electronic payment network.

Who the unbanked consists of

The term unbanked refers to those who do not use a banking account and instead use alternative financial service providers. Because of bank fees or mistrust, several choose not to use banks as about 70 percent of unbanked make less than $30,000 a year anyway. A bank account is something one in five consumers doesn't have according to Walmart surveys.

Citations

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/31/AR2011013106177.html